Gerard Depardieu, who is facing trial for the alleged sexual assaults of two women on a film set in 2021, won’t appear before a criminal court in Paris on Monday due to health reasons, his lawyer said.
The French actor, who previously has denied any wrongdoing, is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threat” in the alleged assault, which prosecutors said took place on the set of “Les Volets verts” (“The Green Shutters.”)
Lawyer Jeremie Assous said doctors say the actor’s health doesn’t allow him to appear for the opening of the trial on Monday.
Depardieu “is deeply affected and unfortunately his doctors don’t allow him to appear at the hearing,” Assous a French radio station.
Assous said he will ask the court for the postponement of the trial because his client “wishes to come, wants to express himself.”
Prosecutors say that in both cases, victims reported that the 75-year-old actor trapped them between his legs and groped their buttocks, genitals, chest and breasts over their clothes.
The trial was scheduled as France continues to reckon with sexual violence in the wake of the MeToo movement that struggled to find traction especially in the cinema industry.
Prosecutors say there are witnesses on the film set. One of the victims has been identified as a 53-year-old production designer.
According to Paris prosecutors, the woman told investigators that she’d first heard sexual remarks from Depardieu and then one day, as she walked past him, he had “grabbed her, pulled her toward him, blocked her with his legs, and groped her waist, hips and chest, accompanying his gestures with obscene remarks.”
Three people witnessed it, prosecutors said, confirming that the woman made an attempt to break away from Depardieu’s grip and that she seemed “shocked.” A psychiatrist examination granted her a seven-day leave.
After the incident, it was arranged for Depardieu to apologize. But in a TV interview aired Saturday, the woman said the actor was furious and blamed her for causing trouble. Prosecutors said witnesses confirmed that what Depardieu had said did not constitute an apology.
In the interview with a French online news site, the production designer — who spoke on camera but only gave her first name — said the alleged assault had taken a toll on her personal and professional life for at least 1 and a half years. She said she could not sleep well, suffered anxiety attacks and lost weight.
The woman, according to prosecutors, said it had taken her a while to file a complaint but she decided to do so after hearing on television that there had never been an incident during the shoot.
The month before the alleged assault, another woman also working on the film’s set had complained about Depardieu, Paris prosecutors said.
